


Danganronpa Neo: Reach for Hope

by usukimpala



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-16
Updated: 2020-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:35:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23176309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/usukimpala/pseuds/usukimpala
Summary: A fan made Danganronpa, I can't say much in here for spoilers. However, if you haven't seen any Danganronpa please go watch those first if you don't want to be spoiled for the main series! This will follow my own characters, and while the beginning may seem a little generic/formulaic I promise there is a reason that will be revealed in time. Also please send some support to my friend who has a connected fan cast in her story here: https://www.quotev.com/story/12440955/Danganronpa-Neo-Sink-into-Despair
Kudos: 1





	Danganronpa Neo: Reach for Hope

I rushed up to the school's gates as fast as I could. My skirt flapped in the breeze, as did the edges of my sweater. If I didn't hurry, I'd be late for the entrance ceremony. My black ponytail flew back behind me while I ran. My lungs burned from the exercise. I had gotten up with enough time to leave but hadn’t left early enough. Oh well, it was just an entrance ceremony after all. Surely they wouldn’t be starting the second it was time.

Hope's Peak, a school for ultimate students, came quickly into view as I rounded the corner of the large brick wall separating the school from the rest of the world. The just barely warm breeze blew across my face as my feet slapped the pavement. I even felt it on my legs despite my high striped socks. I took a deep breath and huffed as I stopped at the open gate. The most esteemed school around, and I had been accepted as a first-year.

The school loomed in front of me. It’s shadow, cast from the early morning sun, fell onto me. The building was massive, five stories with who knew how many windows. The outside was entirely made of brown brick. It reminded me of a climbing wall, an obstacle that would become a stepping stone for my future. I frowned as other students continued to file through the main door, still huffing as my hands went to my knees and I readjusted my glasses.

I still wasn't quite sure why I was invited to Hope's Peak. I had no special skill, no talent, nothing amazing that people would know me by, at least not in the same way the ultimates did. No, I had been chosen by sheer luck according to the letter that had been given to me a few weeks ago. I had felt sick at first receiving the letter, it felt fake, as if I had just been given a slab of imitation crab on a platter. Luck was a force of nature, something anyone could have. Not something to be celebrated. In the beginning, I planned to throw it out.

You may be wondering why I decided to go if that’s how I felt about the school. It wasn't necessarily for any sentimental reason, or that I bought the school’s catchphrase about how if you graduated you’d be “set for life”. In fact, I didn't even care about the reputation of the school; I'd honestly always been of the opinion that any sort of restoration it was known for was wholly a scam. A method to fabricate unfounded hope. I was so tired of everyone going on about "Who's the next ultimate this" or "they're definitely the next ultimate that". Why did it matter? And why did a whole school need to be created to prove it? Maybe it wasn't as focused on grooming talent as it used to be, but that didn't mean I had to like it.

After my initial disgust, I realized it was an opportunity. I was determined to prove them wrong, that talent wasn't the only thing needed in life, at least not born talent. I would rise to the top of my class without an ultimate talent and prove everyone wrong.

I paused at the gate, hesitating for a moment. Once I went through - however I felt - from the outside, it would look like I was supporting the ideas I despised. If I did go through, it would be years of hard work to reach my goal. I knew I was right, though. I knew I could do it, I could do something truly great and it would be something I earned rather than was given.

That thought energized me to move forward, filling me with determination, just a little further and I'd be inside. However, as I was about to take my next step I found myself frozen, paralyzed. I willed myself to move but couldn't, my foot stuck where I stood. 

_Why couldn't I move?_

My head was buzzing as if insects were flying by me, invading my hearing. My pulse quickened as I suddenly felt as if I was floating away. My mind went blank, almost like falling asleep. I couldn't remember what I had been doing, where I'd been. The only thing I could focus on was the void filling my senses. 

The next second everything went black.

* * *

I didn’t know how much time had passed when I finally woke up.

My eyelids fluttered open and a light coming from somewhere blinded me temporarily. A cold surface was pressed against my skin. I groggily tried to move, to be able to see my surroundings. Two people stood over me, a larger girl with toffee skin that was just a few shades lighter than my own. The second person was pale, and for a second I almost thought they were a ghost. They wore a sweater vest with a school dress shirt just beneath it. A beanie was perched on their head and their brown eyes stared at me piercingly through a set of square glasses. The girl looked like a mechanic of sorts, a stained yellow shirt gripped her large body and a vest completed the look along with a tool belt that held up her cargo pants.

"Oh, you're awake!" The girl's eyes lit up happily. Her face was framed by a wrap holding up her hair -- it reminded me vaguely of an anime, "That makes 10 right, Akira?"

Akira--who I guessed was the other person--nodded, "yeah, the rest are still coming too. You tend to her, Ayami. I'll grab some of the others to start figuring out where we are."

The girl, Ayami, smiled cheerfully, "Alright, Akira. I think Tomeo and I can take it from here." She then looked at me. I was comforted by her warm expression, "You okay, hun? I know it's pretty confusing, but we're figuring it all out."

"Wh-where are we?"

Ayami looked at me with an apologetic smile. Her voice was as sweet as honey, "I'm afraid I don't know. We all just woke up in this strange situation. It's not clear where we are..."

I looked around the circular room to get my bearings. It was futuristic, the massive monitors that covered most of the wall were black and lifeless. The wall was a sleek and sterile white, highlighted by lines of electric blue. I blinked again, not quite understanding what I was seeing. I looked up, two security cameras were looking down on the scene. My gaze then fell onto the people. Most were talking, others were crowded around others who were passed out. There had to be at least 15 people in total, if not more. I took a minute to count, plus the people on the ground there were exactly 16 of us. Everyone there was a teenager. I couldn’t stop the growing pit in my stomach. What even was this…? 

Ayami held out her hand, “My name’s Ayami, Ayami Otake. They call me the ultimate engineer,” she says cheerfully.

I carefully took it, unlike the rest of her soft exterior, Ayami’s hands were rough, I was taken aback, “Ultimate Engineer? Do you go to Hope’s Peak?”

“Well, I was,” She admits, looking away, “But before I could step inside I was here…”

“Same with me,” I stared in surprise, two people from Hope's Peak being kidnapped at the same time? I mean I’d expect it for an ultimate but, why would they kidnap me?

Ayami bowed her head, “Seems to be the same with everyone. So, what’s your talent?”

I rolled my eyes, “I don’t have one. I was the randomly selected lucky student.” I wasn’t embarrassed to say it, but that knot continued to grow in my gut as I mentioned it. Something felt wrong about the entire situation and I couldn't place a finger on it, “My name’s Yoshiko Suzuki.”

"Why don't I introduce you to everyone," Ayami asked cheerfully, her initial surprise all but vanished.

She then led me over to a group of students talking with each other. Another boy was glaring at a red-headed girl.

"Look, I don't know what the hell happened to us, but I'm finding a way out and it ain't going to be with you shitheads." He wore a dress shirt and pants, however a bright red winter jacket hung over his shoulders. His pale blonde hair was sloppily pulled back; the only thing keeping it from falling in his face was the black sunglasses pushing it back, "For all I know you could all be in on it or something!"

The red-headed girl sighed. She had a leather jacket, cameo pants, and an army cap, "Look. We won't make you stay but I think it would be better if we stick together and figured it out. I'm sure none of us have any clue what's going on."

Ayami cut in, "I'm, uh… sorry to interrupt, but someone else woke up. This is Yoshiko."

The guy scoffed, rolling his eyes in response with a glare that told me to back off. I wasn't timid by any means but I figured it would be better not to make him any more mad than he was. "I don't do all that get to know you, bullshit. Especially not in this situations."

The other girl gave a nod with a laugh, "Tomeo Yaeko. Ultimate Hunter. Potty mouth over there is Sota Yamagata-"

"-The ultimate winter sportsman!?" I stared in disbelief. I was no sports fan by any means, and I certainly hadn't done any research before coming. Honestly I didn't care who my classmates were so long as they didn't get in my way. But... Sota Yamagata was a household name in Japan. He'd won awards across the globe for his achievements and skill in nearly every known winter sport.

"Yeah, that's him," Tomeo gestured her head towards him with an exasperated sigh, "Anyways, it's nice to meet you." She smiles, turning to me.

"I never expected he'd be… so brash." I muttered. I didn't necessarily blame him even if it was annoying. If Ayami hadn't dragged me over, I probably would've done the same thing.

“What the hell do you mean brash?!” Sota asked looking extremely offended, “I’m not fucking _brash_!”

Another guy walked over, he was smaller than Sota but had a similarly broad build. His green hair was put up into a messy bun of sorts and his hands were covered by fingerless gloves. His eyes were a honeyed brown and it was easy to make out his figure under his vest and tank top that exposed his arm muscles, "Tomeo! We didn't find much but there's some sort of hangar and some living areas. Plus Midori said there's some sort of broken down elevator," he spotted me and gave a big roguish grin, "Oh there's a new person awake? I'm Jun Shibata, the ultimate thief, nice to meet you!" 

"Wait, there's actually that sort of thing?" My brow furrowed, Hope's Peak really would let in any talent…

Jun laughs, "Yeah, I was surprised too, but I mean they've had other weird talents in the past.”

"I guess…" I shrugged. Where did this prick get off thinking thievery was a talent?**

"Jun, wait up!" A much smaller boy ran up to us. He had messy hair and a cropped jacket over a shirt that was covered in mud and dirt. He wore rubber boots and a pair of gloves. He looked over at Tomeo, “Well, Jun probably told you everything we found. Though I’m finding it odd… whoever built this place put in potted plants around, so it can’t be something for the military, probably. But… Why? It’s like they’re expecting us to start _living_ here.”

When I examined my surroundings, the plants placed around did seem to oddly relax me, which made me worried. It made it feel akin to a hotel or apartment building. What was going on? Who brought us here? If they were bad, why had they made living arrangements?

Tomeo placed a hand to her chin, “You’re right Midori… between the dining hall and the bedrooms… there's too many hints that they expect us to just live here.” She mutters before blinking, “oh, by the way, Yoshiko this is Midori Nomura.”

“The ultimate botanist,” Midori says proudly, gesturing to himself. So that’s why he’d focused so much on the plants… He was so small, his cheeks were so soft, and you couldn’t help but feel endeared to him. Against my better judgment, I chuckled at the show of bravado and gave a smile in greeting.

“Our little flower boy,” Jun chuckles and ruffles Midori’s hair with a wink, “He completely innovated the field of botany with his formulas and growing processes.”

Ayami looked over at me, “Well that’s everyone over here, if you want you should probably go introduce yourself.”

I looked around, “Why are we introducing ourselves all of a sudden…?” I muttered, “It’s not as if we’re going to be here long… At least I don’t plan to be.”

I had to get back to my family, and I wasn’t about to be stuck here, on some futuristic spaceship or wherever we were, getting all chummy with everyone.

Tomeo gave an exasperated sigh, “Oh great you’re gonna be like Sota… look, you don’t have to get intimate or anything but if we’re going to get out, working together is going to be the best option. So you might want to think about that.” She looks at Ayami, “Can you look at the structure? We can handle the rest of the people. I think seeing if there’s any structural issues could help us, and you’re the best person for that job.”

Ayami nodded, “I’ll do my best hun, y'all just keep everyone calm till we figure out a solution.”

I figured doing some of my own exploration would make me feel better, “Well, I guess I’ll-” Then I suddenly caught a glimpse of someone laying on the ground. I hadn’t looked at the specifics of the people there when I’d done my headcount, but now… I’d know that greasy purple hair anywhere.

My feet carried me over, ignoring Ayami’s shock. I bent over, eyes wide, “Panya-” My heart raced. How was he here!?

He looked the same as he always did, apron around his waist, school dress shirt with sleeves rolled up, and long stringy hair. I tried to shake him awake before his eyes suddenly jolted open. He shouted in surprise as he came to, backing away.

“S-shiko?” He asked in surprise.

I laughed and hugged him with a bright smile, “Panya!” I backed up, getting a good look at him, “wait- what are you doing here!?”

“I- just woke up here- wait, where is here?”

“Uh, some base apparently?” I shook my head, “I’m not sure… everyone here is new students from Hope’s Peak. So I guess I should’ve known you’d be here,” I gave a chuckle, “Ultimate Baker and all.”

He blushed, “Oh- well- yeah.” He glances around, “Wait. _Everyone_ here is an ultimate…?”

I bit my cheek, “Yeah. Apparently.”

He gave a frown, “Don’t tell me you started your rant again. You know people don’t appreciate your ‘talent is a stupid concept’ rant.”

“No, I didn’t do anything like that,” I rolled my eyes, “but I’m not getting buddy-buddy with them like they want.”

Panya gave me a sigh and a hard glare, “Shiko… these are our classmates. Even if we’re in a weird situation you should at least try to get along with them.”

“I will when they don’t act like they’re somehow superior just because I wasn’t born with some crazy specific ability.”

“You got along with me and you know who,” He said reproachfully.

I shrugged, “That was before you got accepted to Hope’s Peak. Besides, you guys do have actual talent. There's a guy here who's the ultimate _thief_ , anyone can steal shit! That's not a real skill!" I huffed angrily. Though in the back of my mind I vaguely.

Panya placed a hand gently on my shoulder, "Cool it Shiko." He chuckles, "Save that for when we get to school." He frowns, "Speaking of… do you think maybe this is some kind of… first day prank?"

"That's what I was thinking!" A girl with bushy shorter pink hair tied back in pigtails jumped into the conversation. She wore red square glasses, had bright blue eyes, and under a school uniform wore a sweater that said 'this is how I roll' with a 20 sided die though most of it was covered by the uniform. However instead of a skirt, she wore regular shorts, "I mean what if this is all just a joke for incoming students!"

Panya stares confused at the excitable eavesdropper, "Uh… and who are you?" His voice was noticeably quieter than he had been one on one with me.

"Kiyo Daiguchi, Ultimate Game Master. Course you can call me Kiyo" She giggled happily. She seemed nice enough, but there was a mischievous glint in her eye that I knew could only be that of a Dungeons and Dragons Dungeon Master. "This place is pretty cool, right? If this is all just a joke I might use some of this as an idea for a campaign!" She pouts, "though I guess since we all know about this it would just be seen as ripping off another person's idea.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, brow furrowing

“Well if we all played a campaign together, you all would know if I used anything from all of this, so I’d have to use it with others I guess,” She shrugs exaggeratedly, “Anyways!” Her expression brightened, “Who are you guys?”

“Well I’m Yoshiko Suzuki, the lucky student for this year, and that’s Panya Toyoda the ultimate baker,” I gestured.

She grinned, “Okay! I’m gonna call you Suki and Pani then!” She giggled.

“P-pani!?” Panya asked, sounding slightly offended.

She bobbed her head, “Mhm!” She looked at me, “So ultimate lucky student huh? Must feel pretty great to be with all of us, I mean I’m still in shock I got invited!”

“I mean ultimate game master isn’t really a… normal ultimate is it.” I gave a shrug, “And to be honest I think the whole ultimate thing is a load of bullcrap. Which is why I’m here to prove it wrong,” I matched her mischievous grin with a smirk of my own before my expression faltered, “Or well, I was.”

She blinked before giving a light chuckle, pink hair bobbing with her head, “Well that’s sure an interesting goal. I bet you can do it if you try. Determination is pretty rare in people nowadays!”

“It’s not quite that it’s…”

“Hope?” She suggested.

I thought for a moment, “Yeah I guess that’s it…”

“Then you’ll fit right in here! We are Hope's Peak’s best, right?” I couldn’t quite read her expression, a trait she’d picked up dming I expected, “Bringing hope to the future with our talents!” 

Panya interrupts, voice still quiet, “Well there’s still some people I need to talk to… guess we can talk to them together,” He suggests, “If you want, Shiko.”

“Guess I’ll leave you guys to it, I’ve pretty much introduced myself to everyone,” Kiyo said cheerfully before skipping off.

I pouted, folding my arms, “I am not doing any ice breaker crap Panya.”

“Come on Shiko,” He said gently, “You never know, it might be fun.”

I sighed, Panya always had this way of doing these stupid little puppy dog eyes and getting me to do things no matter how much I didn’t want to, “Alright. But only because you asked me.”

“We’re going to school together so we may as well,” Panya chuckled.

I raised an eyebrow, “Well, look who’s suddenly the social butterfly.”

He blushed again, “Oh come on that’s not true. I just don’t want to spend high school all alone again,” He admits softly, “and it doesn’t look like he’s here so-”

I frowned, “Don’t talk like that, you’ll always have me and him.” I said scoldingly, “No matter what. You don’t need all these show off ultimates to make yourself feel better.”

He gave a sly smile, “You do realize you’re an ultimate now too, Shiko.”

Crap. I stared, I hadn’t realized that. I… guess I was. I let out a loud groan, “Oh don’t remind me of that. It’s bad enough you’re one now.”

“Come on, let's get a look around. Do you think this place has a kitchen? If you say hi to everyone I’ll make sweet rolls~”

My stomach growled as I gave a slight moan, “Not cool dude! You can’t tempt me with your pastries! You win every time. Man, you’re such a manipulator.”

"Anyways, what if this _is_ all just a big prank as I was saying? I mean it's not as if any of us know what the interior of Hope's Peak looks like."

It was worth a thought… but something didn't sit right to me about thinking this place was the famous Hope's Peak we'd all been accepted to.

We made our way out of the large circular room, I spotted what appeared to be the broken elevator. I then frowned as we found ourselves in a corridor filled with rooms, each with a nameplate under a picture. I saw people I’d just met and those I recognized from my look around the other room. The same person who had been with Ayami when I originally woke up was standing there, looking just as much of a nerd as earlier.

They turned to see us, their voice was slow and monotone, “Oh… you guys are here. You’re that girl who was in the main room earlier, right?”

“Akira right?” I remembered. I almost didn’t see his white beanie against the sterile white walls. 

“Akira Sato. Call me Aki.”

Next to me I felt Panya’s excitement building as he gave a gasp. Looking at Panya the only noticeable physical difference was that he was frozen in place, eyes glued onto Akira.

“You know this guy?” I asked curiously.

“Nonbinary.” Akira corrected.

Panya nodded before whispering into my ear, “They’re the ultimate paranormal investigator! I’ve been following their channel on youtube for years!” Panya said, and then I was staring at Akira. Paranormal investigator? Well, I guessed that explained the nerdy look.

“Is… is he alright?” Akira tilted their head, eyebrows raised as they looked curiously at Panya.

“Apparently Panya’s a big fan of yours,” I explained, “Afraid I’ve never heard of your channel.”

Akira looked as if that made sense, “Oh yeah, that makes sense you’ve never heard of my investigations channel. It’s pretty small, I think I only have about 65 million subscribers…” They shrugged, “It’s more of a hobby… I mostly like the research. And I have fun exploring scary places. And some people seem to enjoy it so it all works out.”

I blinked, taking in what he’d just said, “You think… 65 million subscribers is small!?”

Aki tilted his head to the other side, “I mean the entire population of the world is pretty big in comparison?”

“...right.”

“So you’re a fan of mine?” Aki looked to Panya, “Well it’s always nice to meet fellow paranormal enthusiasts.”

Panya ducked his head, very obviously tongue-tied. He looked like he would explode if I didn’t say something to cut through the silence.

“Sorry, he’s a bit shy already so, meeting someone he admires is even more nerve-wracking,” I explained with a chuckle, rubbing my neck.

Aki cocked his head, “I’m a bit of an introvert myself so I understand.” This guy was so calm and collected I had an extremely hard time believing he could be anywhere near as anxious as Panya was when meeting new people, but I did believe he was an introvert, “You might want to get searching, though. I mean you want to escape right?”

I was taken aback, the nerve of this guy! “What do you mean? Of course, we want to escape!”

Aki gestured back down the hall, “Well standing around chatting won’t really help much so, I better get going.”

They walked off before Panya and I gave each other incredulous stares. We’re all the other ultimates this… clueless? Most likely not, but I was really starting to wonder why Panya was interested in them

Panya and I wandered through the long hallway, the single strip of blue made it appear as if it went on forever, I took note of the bedrooms I didn’t know the nameplate of yet. I stopped for a second, “Wait.” I muttered before trying to open one of the doors, “Huh… they’re locked. Think we have specific keys?”

Panya thought for a moment, “I guess that makes sense.”

I let out an exaggerated groan, “Guess we have to move on then. There’s nothing here for us to do.”

We headed from the dorm-like hallway straight down, passing by another entrance to the main bridge we’d woken up in. A door was rolled up leading into a large repair shop, filled with many different sized machines. Various projects were already being worked on. Tools were neatly hung up around the room, and various rollable tool chests were scattered near work tables. The room was shorter than the hallways and had more of a basement feel to it.

A schoolgirl with thin and messy long blue hair pulled into pigtails was exploring the room, holding a clipboard and writing on it. She turned in surprise to look at us. Her school shirt was rolled up at the sleeves and her black tie was hung loosely, swaying as she walked.

“New students!” She rushed over, “Okay, names and ultimates.” She demanded, readying her pencil.

“Yoshiko Suzuki, ultimate lucky student. Panya Toyoda, ultimate baker.” I was getting really tired of repeating the same things over again.

The girl hummed for a moment as she wrote, “Interesting… I can’t seem to find any sort of connection. Well of course aside from us all being ultimates.”

“Uh… mind telling us who you are?” I asked, slightly annoyed.

“Kanna Ito, ultimate data analyst.” She said matter of factly, not even looking up.

I sighed before noticing another person was in the room, looking at a large screen on one of the tables. He was short but somewhat broad, his hair was jet black with an undercut. His eyes glued to what he was looking at.

“Oh, that’s Daiki Hoshiko.” Kanna gestured, “Ultimate astronomer.”

Daiki looked up as if just realizing people were there, “Hi!” He waved.

Panya waved with a weak smile.

Daiki rubbed his neck embarrassedly, “Sorry, I was just looking at these star charts.” He explains, "I thought maybe something about them might tell us where we are based on what they're showing. I mean not just any base usually has them on file." Daiki says fervently, "Though I haven't found a connection yet."

I gave him a look before heading into the open door that reminded me of an electrical closet door. The room was dark, only illuminated by the light from the repair shop. Instinctively I reached for a small blue pad next to the door which then illuminated the room as lights embedded into the edges of the ceiling were turned on. Inside was a small wearhouse room, a few shelves lined the walls and boxes full of parts, screws, and wires were scattered. For some reason it made me think of Ayami, despite barely knowing her. Somehow I could imagine her delight seeing the mess.

I took note that even here there was a camera set onto the ceiling just as in the halls and the main room. Who was watching us… was it the person who put us here?

I couldn’t see anything of use and so moved on, I looked at Panya, “Nothing much in here. Just machine parts.” I announced.

We moved on, heading through the hall into another larger room. There were sections that looked almost like miniature gardens in the corners, and an archway into what was a kitchen. The centerpiece of the room, however, was a large communal table. The table was a rounded white slab with a blue line embedded on the edge and set into the ground by a single tapered column running along the bottom.

“Ah-” A soft feminine voice spoke from behind us and said, “I see people are already here.” She said gently with a slight smile. She strode over, towering over the two of us.

I turned around in surprise, “What-? Uh, hi!” I wave.

She reached out her hand and gave a slight bow, “I understand you are to be my classmates? It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Her voice was light but cheerful, “My name is Mari Sone.”

I blinked, and awkwardly met her hand, “Yoshiko.”

The way she talked reminded me of a foreign duchess. Her outfit completed it, dress pants and a grey vest. Her long dark grey hair cascaded down her back and her head was slightly tilted, “Yoshiko… what a sweet name.” Her voice had a twinkle to it as she talked.

“Oh- uh thanks!” I muttered, rubbing my neck. Man why was I getting so flustered, she was just another girl… “So what’s your ultimate?”

She winced in surprise at that, “I’m afraid, I don’t remember.” She said sadly.

I frowned, “I’m sorry. That’s really too bad…”

She shook her head, “I’m… sure it’ll come to me eventually.” She gives a small laugh, “But thank you for your concern.”

I flushed bright red, “I wasn’t worried! I mean it’s not like you don’t have talent even if you don’t remember it. A skill is something you have to learn right? So it’s probably in your muscle memory or… something.”

“I’m sorry, wh-”

“Forget it!” She shook my head, “I just meant- well it’s your talent! It’s not just something you lose because you don’t remember it, something you have to work on and work at like that doesn’t just go away because you don’t know what it is.”

She laughed again as my whole face suddenly felt very very hot, “You’re funny you know, Yoshiko?”

“T-thanks.”

She was so close to me I could smell her sweet perfume. Her figure, while small width wise, was intimidating to me and was throwing me off.

She looked over my shoulder after a moment, “It looks like the other boy already moved on. I assume you want to follow him?”

I looked and sure enough, the spot where Panya had been sitting was now empty and I knew exactly where he’d gone. I groaned before rushing through to the kitchen. I don’t know why but I was disappointed when the only person in there was Panya. I guess I had hoped… it didn’t matter I paused at the archway inside before stepping in.

My eyes had an easier time focusing in the kitchen than they had in the repair shop, with fewer things to look at. Sleek futuristic cabinets lined the walls, everything was neatly put away and the counter was spotless. Ovens were at a far corner and a microwave was next to them.

I suddenly spotted a monitor, not much different from the other rooms, though this one had a text box and a screen keyboard. My brow furrowed looking at it as I made my way over. I started typing.

D-o-r-i-t-o-s

The next second, a hole in the wall opened up and a bag materialized. My eyes went wide with glee, “Okay if this thing can do _that_ , then maybe staying might not be so bad.”

Panya starred as he rushed over in shock, “No way… how is that even possible?”

I grinned, “I have no clue.”

I started munching on the doritos happily before sitting on top of the counter. The anxious pit in my stomach grew if they were providing us food… with no obvious limit… that meant they had the power and if we pissed them off we could get our food supply cut off. It also furthered the sickening idea that we were supposed to figure out how to live here.

Suddenly my chips didn't taste so good as I tossed them off to the side, "Hey I'm gonna check out the rest of this place. Coming with?" I asked, hopping down from the counter. 

He thinks for a moment, "No, I think I'm going to stay in this room for a bit, figure out what the rest of the food situation is like. "

I yawned, stretching at the same time, "Suit yourself. I’m gonna see what else is around.”

Heading out of the kitchen I walked through another hallway, I spotted another entrance to the main room we’d woken up in except now I was looking through it from the opposite side of where the dorms were. It appeared to be impossible to reach the kitchen without going through the main room.

I then saw an entrance to a massive room with large objects that were similar to small planes. Ayami was messing with one of the larger ones, exploring its insides. She groans, looking at a boy next to her, “It’s no use Nobuyuki…” She sighs, “There's no engine in these. Even if we open up a way out, we’d have to walk I guess.”

“Damn…” The guy rubbed his neck, he had black dreadlocks and some sort of letterman jacket, and his eyes were a light purple which stood out against his dark skin, “Guess we’ll just have to keep looking. Think you could make something in the repair shop?”  
  


Ayami shook her head, “Don’t think so hun.” She muttered, “If I can it’s gonna be a while.” Ayami looked over and waved at me and Panya, “Hey! Yoshiko! Come on over, let me introduce you. This is Nobuyuki.”

I looked the guy up and down, he certainly looked athletic.

He gave a wave as well and flashed a smile, “Sup.”

For some reason the guy grated on my nerves, he was like every teen movie heartthrob ever. I folded my arms, “Hey.”

“So how’d a pretty girl like you end up here anyway?” Nobuyuki asked with a gentle smile, “I’m sure your talent must be something pretty amazing!”

“I’m the lucky student.” I really didn’t appreciate the flirting, at least that’s what I assumed it was.

He looked me up and down before his eyes lit up, “Hey, you know, you look pretty athletic and you’ve got a great body type. You should definitely play with me sometime!”

My eyes went wide, “Wh- play with you!? And what the hell do you mean I have a great body type!?” I glared, “You better not be trying to get into my pants asshole-”

He looked flustered as he blushed, “No no no- I didn’t mean it like that. I meant basketball! I’m the ultimate basketball star! We should do a game sometime, one against one. I know it’s a bit unfair but I’ll go easy on you-”

Anger boiled up as I glared, “I can beat you any day! Do you think I can’t just cause I’m a girl?!”

“No-! I just-”

“Hey Yoshiko, think you can grab me a wrench?” Ayami asked, cutting in. I was steaming with anger but walked over, and picking one up, handed it to her.

*Ding Dong Bing Bong*

“ _Ahem! Testing testing, this is a test of the station’s broadcast cast system!_ ” Suddenly one of the small monitors in the room started crackling on, green static filling the screen before a high pitched obnoxious voice started talking, “ _Everyone please make your way to the main bridge for the welcome ceremony! That’s the circular room you all woke up in!_ ”

I looked to Ayami who had a nervous expression as she wiped her brow, a streak of oil appearing. She sat up before standing and looking at the two of us. She frowned, “I guess we don’t really have a choice do we…”

My fist clenched but knew she was right. Plus, I guessed it was our only chance to figure out what was going on… 

I made my way back to the main bridge as the voice had called it. When I went inside I saw that no one was left unconscious anymore and that a new guy was chatting with Mari. I didn’t recognize him, but he looked straight out of a Victorian novel. He wore a black suit vest, blue ascot, and a flowing dress shirt that was rolled up. His hair was wavy and black with white streaks which I thought looked odd for a teenager. He also wore round glasses that made him look like Harry Potter.

“Why thank you, Ms. Sone,” He said, kissing Mari’s hand with a small bow. I thought I really had been transported into some sort of Victorian novel with the two of them, and his voice was so prim and proper with a British accent.

“Hey who the hell are you?” I asked, walking up to him with a scowl, I wasn’t quite sure why. It wasn’t as if he’d said anything that weird… but the hand kiss just felt wrong to me.

He squeaked before holding his hand out, it was slender and pale just like the rest of his body, “Hachiro, Hachiro Kurosawa. Ultimate chemist. I’m terribly sorry if I’ve upset you somehow.”

I sighed, but I didn’t take his hand, “Whatever.” I shook my head before looking for Panya. I spotted him at one end of the room, standing awkwardly.

Everyone was talking and chatting with each other but I couldn’t get myself to want to get involved. I walked to Panya with a frown before being intercepted by Kiyo.

“Well I guess this proves it’s all a joke~” She laughed, “I’m sure in a second they’re gonna announce it’s all one big prank.” She took my shoulder happily. She was so bouncy it was almost shocking for a situation like this, “And then we can start school for real!”

I jumped before giving a sigh, “Oh- it’s just you.”

She tilted her head, “You seem tense?”

“ _Really_. Do I?! Maybe it’s because we’ve been kidnapped and sent to live in some weird future base.”

“Well it’s not that bad, I mean it could be worse. We could be stuck in the middle of nowhere,” Kiyo shrugged. Her eyes lit up before seeing someone, “Oh! Yoshiko, I don’t think you’ve met Shino have you?”

I looked to where she had pointed before being taken by surprise, I had almost run into someone. He should have been easy to see, but for some reason, I had completely glossed him over. He wore a dark purple sleeveless martial arts gi, his hair was a stark white and parted over to one side. A scarf covered his mouth as the ends flowed behind him.

I waited for him to greet me, and when he didn’t I leaned into Kiyo, “Uh… who is he?”

She chuckled, “This is Shinobu Takahashi! The ultimate ninja,” She gave a mischievous giggle at the last part, then shrugged, “He doesn’t really talk much.”

“Ninja huh? Does that mean you’ve assassinated people before?”

He just looked at me with a confused gaze, his stark black eyes felt like he was piercing into the depths of my soul. A chill ran down my spine at the thought.

“-You may all rest assured. For I have arrived!” Suddenly a voice echoed through the room, loud and flamboyant, which pulled my attention. It was different from the one over the monitors but just as obnoxious, “Hideko Kaneko the fabulous and famous Ultimate Thespian!”

_More like the ultimate nuisance_ , I thought as I rolled my eyes in annoyance.

Hideko was average height, maybe on the taller side. His outfit was as loud as he was, with obviously faked dyed hair. His outfit was taken right out of high fashion magazines, a fancy white coat and pants, a sleek black shirt, and a baby blue scarf.

He seemed to sparkle as he walked, giving a dazzling smile as he winked, “Yes it’s really me, soak it in~”

Now, this was what I was expecting. Self-centered pricks with no regard for others. Even I recognized Hideko, one of the most famous teen theater actors. He’d been in musicals for his whole life and the Kaneko family had risen in fame across the globe, they were close to one of the richest families next to the Togami family. And I had had a lifelong resentment of Hideko especially. Without his family’s money, he’d just be another nobody.

“Alright that’s everyone,” Tomeo said, doing a headcount, “16…”

Something about that number made me squirm, but I wasn’t sure why. Thankfully Mari voiced what we were all feeling, brushing a lock of grey hair back behind her ear, “16… something about that number seems important. Why specifically 16 of us?”

“Does it matter?” Kiyo asked curiously.

Hachiro held a finger up to his lips, “It seems it does. Though I can’t think of any reason why. Maybe 7 or 13 would seem odd. But 16… perhaps it’s because of the 6? That is the devil's number, after all, at least that's all I can think of.”

Midori squeaked from the corner, gloves going up to cover the bottom half of his face, “You don’t think this has anything to do with a satanic cult or something?”

“If it does, I’ll protect us,” Jun said assuringly.

Kiyo laughed, “The devil?” She snorted, “I doubt this has anything to do with a cult.” She hums, “Though that is a good story idea… I'm definitely using that in my next campaign."

Hideko frowned and rolled his eyes, “Well I’m sure we’ll all be saved. After all, I’m not just anybody, I'm-”

“Hideko Kaneko, ultimate rich boy,” I rolled my eyes, “We heard you the first time.”

“ _Alright alright simmer down, simmer down my little despairlings!_ ” The same voice from the monitors now filled the room as the large screens started the same green static as before as the chatter slowly died down.

Sota glared at the screen, “Hey fucker! What do you want with us! Why did you kidnap us!?”

“ _~Kidnap? Why I never!_ ”

Sota held his fist up, flipping the bird, “Why don’t you show yourself instead of hiding like a fucking coward?!”

Hachiro gave Sota a reprimanding frown, “You do realize you’re not helping the situation. I don’t know who you are but I don’t think shouting is going to make them let us go.”

“I’m fucking Sota Yamagata and don’t you dare fucking forget it or I’ll bash your head in!” He then turns back to the screen, “After I beat up this bitch! Show yourself!”

“I agree with Hachiro,” Daiki muttered, “I don’t think making him mad is going to help. Although I would like to know who our captors are.”

“ _Puhuhuhu oh alright~_ ” The faceless voice giggled, “ _I suppose you all want to meet your headmaster!_ ”

“Headmaster-!?” I shouted in shock.

Mari looked confused, her brow furrowed, “I do not understand… you are the headmaster of Hope’s Peak?” She asked calmly despite the confusion in her voice.

“ _That is correct~_ ” The voice giggled once again, “ _But you can call me Monokuma!_ ”

Suddenly a hole from the ground opened up as a bear creature raised out of it. It was some sort of teddy bear but… demonic. Half of it was colored white with a little black eye and smiling mouth, the other half was colored black with a jagged red eye and a toothy smile.

“What in god’s name is that thing!?” Hachiro screeched, eyes wide as he backed away. He had been one of the closest to the stand.

“It looks to be some sort of… stuffed animal?” Kanna tilted her head, examining it.

“I’m not a stuffed animal! I told you, I’m Monokuma!”

Ayami squealed before approaching, eyes glossing over, “No way! You must be some sort of animatronic machine- you’re so advanced!” She said excitedly, “That’s amazing. Who built you?”

“Man you’re a loud bunch aren’t you,” Monokuma sighed, turning away in annoyance.

“I do agree with the loud ones. I want to know what sort of practical joke this is.” Shinobu spoke and I thought I had imagined it, but turning I realized he really had spoken.

“Practical joke?” Monokuma tilted his head.

“Well, yeah? I mean this is Hope Peak Academy right…? If you really didn’t kidnap us?” I asked, “And if you’re our… headmaster?”

Monokuma laughed again, a sickening sound, “Oh-! You think this is Hope’s Peak?”

“It isn’t… is it…” Daiki mutters.

“Full points! You’re much more observant than your classmates, A+! You aren’t at Hope’s Peak!” Monokuma laughed maniacally, “You’re at Space Station Oizys!”

_Space_!? My head started spinning. There was no way, I didn’t believe- no I didn’t want to believe that I was so far away from home…! I could be light years away from my family… I forced myself not to cry as I stared in shock. The others had the same stunned expressions.

“But- why!? How!?” Tomoe said with a glare, “Why would we even believe you in the first place.”

Monokuma tilted his head, “Why would I lie to you?”

“Because you fucking kidnapped us!” Sota shouted in outrage.

Midori was about to cry, biting his lip, “But... our families? Our friends? T-they must be looking for us? Why- why would you do something so evil!?” He said, tears forming in his eyes and his voice quivering.

Monokuma sighed, “Looks like you won’t believe me without some proof.” He walked over and pressed sections on a floating blue screen, one of the four spaced evenly around the main bridge’s walls. Suddenly the monitors changed, displaying a starry sky. “You won’t even more proof, you can open the large window in the commissary!” He then turned back to all of us, “besides, in a way you’re being kept safe here. I mean it’s not as if you could return to earth.”

“Wait- why not?” I asked in surprise. Had something happened on Earth? Why didn’t I remember it?

He looked at Mari, “I’m surprised you don’t know?”

Her delicate brow furrowed, “And why would I?”

“Oh I see!” Monokuma giggled, “Well I guess that can wait. And I guess you all have no way to trust me on that one~” He starts laughing maniacally once again, “Anyways! On to business! Now we have a few… special rules here, and one I think you’ll all be very interested in. Why don’t you take out those little E-Handbooks from your pockets.”

I felt my jacket pocket, “We don’t-“ suddenly I felt a phone sized device, slowly I pulled it out. It was the size of a large phone, black, and had the Hope’s Peak Academy symbol on it. I stared in surprise. Had that been there since I woke up…?

Everyone else pulled out similar ones. I pressed the on button and my name came up.

Yoshiko Suzuki

After that came up a series of different boxes. Map, report card, rules, and… clue tracker? I figured I’d look at that later, for now, he’d said to look at the rules. I wondered what this stupid stuffed bear would think we’d find interesting.

  1. Passengers may reside only within the ship, for the safety of all passengers do not break the ship’s windows.
  2. The breaking or removing any of the security cameras or monitors on the ship will be punished
  3. “Nighttime” is from 10 pm to 7 am. Some areas are off-limits at night, including the commissary which will be locked
  4. Violence against Monokuma is strictly prohibited.
  5. Lending your E-Handbook is strictly prohibited.
  6. Anyone who kills a fellow student and becomes the “blackened” will be allowed to return to Earth, unless they are discovered.
  7. If the guilty party is exposed in the class trial, they alone will be punished. If they are not discovered they alone will be permitted to leave, all others will be punished.
  8. One person is only allowed to kill at most two people
  9. Additional regulations may be added if necessary.



My eyes lingered for what felt like hours on the 7th rule. If we wanted to leave… we had to kill each other? What sort of cruel trick was this? I looked up defiantly, “There’s no way we’ll murder eachother for your amusement you sicko!”

“...Sicko…? and here I thought you’d all be glad to be given the chance to get away with murder.” Monokuma lamented.

“Are you fucking insane!?” Sota glared.

“What are these rules?!” Daiki cried out after looking up, “ We have to kill each other and we’ll all be punished if we don’t figure out who murdered one of us?! That’s insane!”

Everyone nodded in agreement, muttering things like “I’d never think about hurting anyone” or “There’s no way I’d agree to this”. It made me feel better that no one else was actively agreeing with this.

I stepped forward forcefully, “You’re going to have to kill us yourself if you want us dead!”

Monokuma shook his head, “No no no! That’s not how it works.” He hums for a moment before starting to giggle, “I’m sure after a few days alone here you’ll start to get anxious about getting home.”

“We’re not going to play this horrible game!” Mari said determinately, “It’s just- just evil!”

“Puhuhuhuhuhu well we’ll see about that~” Monokuma winked, “well I’ve got things to do and places to be! I’ll leave you all to your murderous endeavors!”

He suddenly sank away through the same hole he’d come from. I didn’t realize I’d started to shake in anger. Suddenly I took a breath, giving a look to Panya. We both realized it would be dangerous to talk right now. We’d have to go our separate ways, just for a little while.

Everyone stood for a moment in silence, processing what we’d been told.

“We need to keep things business as usual,” Tomeo suddenly cut through the silence, “If we’re going to keep this situation from getting to us, our only option is to stay calm and continue as we normally would.” She adjusted her jacket.

Hachiro looked down as he held his arms to his chest, “I believe we also should use night time in order to rest, without enough sleep we won’t be able to think rationally."

Shinobu closed his eyes, leaning against a wall, “Anyone walking around during that time must be considered suspicious. Should we have a nightly patrol do you think?”

Tameo thought for a moment, “That would work.” She nodded definitely, “I’ll take the first watch tonight.”

Kiyo blinked and frowned, brow furrowing, “Don’t you think that’s a little much? I mean we don’t even know if someone’s even going to do anything. It feels kinda like… throwing a grenade at a weed.”

“Early action is the only way we’ll prevent something bad from happening,” Shinobu shook his head, “Our best bet is to head off any suspicious activity.”

“Woah woah woah, who made all of you the leaders!?” Hideko asked quickly, looking frazzled, “I don’t remember that Beetlejuice bear saying you guys got to make all the rules!”

Shinobu glared, “If you don’t like it we’ll have no choice but to consider you dangerous. If you have no ill intentions you should have no problem complying with this for everyone’s protection.”

It felt good to see Hideko backed into a corner. He looked at everyone, none of who were raising any other objections. I got the impression that this was the first time Shinobu had talked in his life this much, his voice was low and an odd mixture between reassuring and threatening.

“Well it’s going to be a long night for me,” Tomoe sighed, “So I’ll head to bed now. Night all.”

We all went our separate ways, some continuing our search from earlier, others completing other tasks. As for me, I was curious about what Monokuma had said about the commissary. When I arrived there, Panya was already in the kitchen and Daiki was examining the walls.

Daiki turned and chuckled, rubbing his neck, “I see we both had the same idea.”

“Yup,” I looked along the wall. Suddenly I found another blue box of light on the wall similar to the one that had turned on the lights in the repair shop. I examined it for a minute before touching it. Suddenly the metal door that had covered the window slowly rolled open, the whole wall opened up onto a starry night sky.

My heart sank. Part of me had hoped the screens had been just an illusion. However as I walked up and touched the glass, it didn’t feel like a screen. It was all too real.

Daiki suddenly gasped, “I know where we are!”

I blinked, turning around, “You do?”

Daiki ran up to the glass, “Yeah! I mean, well, I think.” His expression fell, “If I’m right though… we’re hundreds and hundreds of light-years away from Earth. There’s no way we could get back in a reasonable time, not unless those ships can travel faster than the speed of light…”

I plopped into a seat and frowned, "Couldn't you have lied and said you weren't sure. At least give us a little hope here."

"I'm not going to lie and give everyone false hope of escape, " He responded with a reprimanding gaze that made me feel bad for suggesting it. “That would just be rude to you and everyone else.”

"Whatever goody two shoes." I rolled my eyes.

He thinks, "Of course there's a chance Ayami can fix those ships. But I'd put that at a slim opportunity that they can reach the speed we need."

"Yeah but that won't be for ages!" I ignored the part of my mind saying that someone might be dead by then. No one would kill someone. I was sure of it.

I sighed and got up, moving to the kitchen. I prayed that Panya was done with his cookies, I needed a pick me up and whenever Panya got stressed he would suddenly have lots of cookies to pass out the next day. I figured this was a situation worthy of at least 10 batches.

Sure enough, when I walked in, Panya was putting a tray into the oven and mixing up another bowl of dough. His apron was covered in flour as usual and it felt good to see him back doing something he loved, it made the situation seem more normal. Swinging my legs over the counter I dipped my finger into the dough to sneak some.

Panya looked at my reproachfully, "Shiko!"

"What?"

He sighs, "You're supposed to eat it when it's baked!"

I chuckled, "Okay okay no more dough snitching. Anyways, I was gonna maybe turn in early." I had a lot to think about and to process.

Panya nodded, "Sounds good, I'll leave a batch of these for you."

I grinned, "Thanks Panya~"

Leaving I went towards the dorms. The hallways felt as creepy to go through alone, each step echoing. Every door looked the same. I slowly approached mine, looking to see how it opened. I suddenly saw a scanner, I held up my E-Handbook as an attempt. Thankfully that seemed to work as the door slid open. I stepped through, the door automatically closed behind me.

The room was as sleek as the rest of the space station. A small plant was in the corner, though I didn’t recognize it. It was large and leafy and the smell from it was sweet. The bed was embedded into an archway in the wall, a twin sized one with thin sheets and no blanket or top sheet. I saw a small monitor, I wondered if it would be made to make announcements like earlier. Then I winced as I saw even in here there was a security camera. I bet whoever was controlling this place, they were probably perverted. 

I then opened a thin door between the exit and the bed, inside I found more sheets, a soft blanket, and other cleaning supplies. Another door was at the far end of the room, I walked through and was surprised that it was motion censored. That would take some getting used to… The room inside was a small bathroom with a sleek shower, a toilet that was embedded in the wall, and a sink.

*Ding Dong Bing Bong*

I had gotten to my room just in time to see the monitor come to life, Monokuma on the screen just as he had that morning. “ _Ahem. It is now 10 pm, the doors to the commissary and the main bridge will soon be locked and lights in all communal areas will be shut off. Goodnight everyone~”_

Before heading to bed I took a shower, grabbing towels and shampoo from the closet. I thought for a long while as the water slid down my face. How could we live like this… being expected to kill each other. Just the thought made me feel sick. I’d have to watch my back, there’s no way I would end up letting myself be the first kill. The bed was warm but I still felt a chill as I tried to fall asleep. Why did I have to be a part of this!?

_Lucky student…_ I thought bitterly. _Sure, it must be bad luck._

I’d never considered myself lucky. At least not the sort of heaven-sent luck most people thought of. Sure I was in a good position and had mostly good things happen in my life until now, but those had all been my own achievements. I wouldn’t let some unrealistic force of nature take credit for my life. I was, however, happy to let it take credit for this horrible situation. There was no way I could have wanted this. With that comforting thought, I slowly drifted off to sleep.

Surviving Students: 16


End file.
